Follow My Lead
by Briar Rose
Summary: Tom and B'Elanna share a 'friendly' game of pool and this is how it turnes out. Pre Day of Honor. Spoilers for Displaced ,Real Life. Why should Seven and the doctor have all the fun?


  
  
Title: FOLLOW MY LEAD  
Author: Briar Rose  
Email: boo.roo@sympatico.ca  
Part:1/1  
Rating: PG-13 for a few bad words and a little cuddling.  
  
Disclaimer: Viacom/Paramount owns all the players, I'm just making them dance   
to my tune.  
  
Synopsis: A follow up, of sorts, to my story, "He Wore a Pair of Silver Wings."   
At the end, Tom had invited B'Elanna to share a friendly game of pool with him   
and this is how it turns out. Takes place before 'Day of Honor'. Spoilers for   
"Displaced', 'Real Life' and others too, most likely. Why should Seven and the   
doctor have all the fun?  
  
Warning: You are about to encounter a whole lotta P/T clichés ahead. Though   
I'm trying desperately to make it funny, this story may end up mushy instead.   
Aaaah, romance...  
  
Thanks: To the unlauded heroes of 'Roll Call: The Minor Crew Members of   
Voyager' (Steven McKinnen and Jamie McQuinn) without whose nifty site, I would   
have had to go with Freddy Bristow again simply because he has a first name.   
Thanks also to LA Koehler, the reigning Queen 'o Grammar, and Stace for   
pointing out the obvious. And as always, to Liz who puts up with it all.  
  
Date: March 2001.  
  
~*~*~  
  
  
Eight year old Tom Paris had grabbed the padd from his sister, Moira, and taken   
off running. She had shrieked and followed—the desired effect—finally pinning   
him behind the couch and liberating her padd with a few hard blows to his head,   
not to mention a few choice descriptive phrases. But not before Tom had been   
able to read a few lines of the text to everyone in the room. The words were   
burned into his memory, perhaps because of the minor, yet permanent brain   
damage from the punches. "George held her tightly by her narrow waist. He   
gazed into her eyes, murmuring, 'Bellissima' before crushing her slight body to   
his and kissing her into submission."   
  
Brain-damaged or not, Tom had learned two lessons from that experience. The   
first: despite having a vulky name like George, you could still get the girl   
(should you want to), and the second: never underestimate the strength of an   
embarrassed female. The latter was the reason why he stood leaning against the   
pool table, not making a sound while B'Elanna regained her composure. He   
watched as her expression went from high embarrassment to swift anger to a slow   
burn.   
  
Finally, resentment settled on her features as she lifted her chin to glare at   
him. This was better. A pissed off B'Elanna Torres, he knew how to handle.  
  
"B'Elanna," he said, "I thought you knew better than to accept a bet when you   
don't know the stakes."  
  
"I am not," she paused, giving emphasis to the word, "going ballroom dancing   
with you, Paris."  
  
"Two hours on the holodeck doing whatever I want to do, provided it's in good   
taste. Those were the stakes we agreed on, so that's what you have to do." He   
shrugged nonchalantly. "I was willing to spend two hours changing relays in   
the forward emitter," he reminded her. "Don't try to back out now, we have a   
room full of witnesses."   
  
Which, of course, was the problem.   
  
He hadn't intended to publicly embarrass her, but word of the cutthroat   
tournament had gotten around and Sandrine's was full to overflowing with off-  
duty personnel, most from Engineering. All of whom had watched her miss her   
last shot—spectacularly, in Tom's opinion. It hadn't helped that Vorik had   
yelped and dove out of the way of the flying cue ball. Vulcan stoicism, my   
ass, Tom thought.   
  
It had started as a friendly game, but the larger the crowd got, the bigger   
B'Elanna's sense of rivalry grew, until someone suggested they make the stakes   
more interesting. Tom had obliged and now the crowd was reveling in the post-  
game show.  
  
"Ballroom dancing was an Olympic sport until 2172," Tom said. "It's   
respectable, a good workout, and," he risked leaning close enough to her to   
almost whisper, "you get to wear a dress. Something long and...flowing."  
  
"In that case, this is definitely off. Pick something else. I don't own any   
dresses." B'Elanna sounded almost smug.   
  
How typically female, Tom thought; I haven't anything to wear. "Then you'll   
just have to replicate one, won't you?" he countered, with a tight smile.   
  
He knew she was lying. He'd seen her on her way to have dinner with the   
doctor's holographic family the week before, and while the short black shift   
she had worn that evening wasn't appropriate for what he had planned, he hadn't   
thought she would outright lie to get out of their bet.   
  
"I can't," B'Elanna retorted. "I'm pretty much flat after replicating that hat   
for your birthday." She'd noticed that he wasn't wearing it, either.   
  
"Somebody must have something you can squeeze into, Cinderella," Harry added.  
  
B'Elanna whirled on him, her eyes flashing betrayal. "What did you call me?"   
she demanded.  
  
"Cinderella." For once Harry took her temper in stride. "You know, from the   
fairy tale? Cinderella can't go to the Royal Ball because she has nothing to   
wear, until her fairy godmother shows up."  
  
"I suppose you consider yourself my 'Harry' godfather, then," B'Elanna   
remarked. A chorus of muffled groans was heard from the surrounding crew.  
  
"You could borrow the dress I wear when Harry and I give our recitals,   
Lieutenant." Sue Nicoletti spoke up. "I think it would fit."  
  
"Is that the blue one?" Tom asked. He flashed a triumphant smile at B'Elanna   
when Nicoletti nodded. "I think that will do just fine."  
  
"No!" It was B'Elanna's turn to yelp. "Sue, it would never fit." She grasped   
at the excuse with both hands. "You're almost 10 centimeters taller than me,   
I'd be tripping over the skirt." She sent Nicoletti her best Janeway glare,   
but it didn't have any effect.  
  
"Well, it's not floor length on Sue," Harry chimed in, "so with the right   
heels, you should be fine."  
  
B'Elanna frowned, suspicion in her eyes. Since when was Harry such a fashion   
maven? She was getting the distinct impression that she was being set up.   
"Then that's that—I don't have any shoes either, and I'm pretty sure I can't   
dance in my old boots, so I guess you'll have to forget it after all, Paris."  
  
'Paris' again. Tom was tempted to back down before he lost what ground he'd   
gained with her, but the vision of B'Elanna in that blue dress danced at the   
back of his mind. He found himself wondering how many kisses she would need   
before she would ever submit. Or break his nose.  
  
"Come on," Harry said, getting up to leave. "There must be someone around   
here who can lend you a pair of glass slippers."  
  
B'Elanna frowned at Harry as he moved toward the swinging wooden doors. "Glass   
on a starship? Transparent aluminum, maybe. It doesn't sound very   
comfortable," she grumbled. She started to follow him out of Sandrine's—she   
was embarrassed and wanted to get away from Tom before he got any more   
brilliant ideas. "Why the hell did she want to go to this Ball so badly,   
anyway?"   
  
Harry looked over his shoulder at Tom, who was still leaning against the pool   
table dreaming of blue, swirly dresses. "Why, so she could dance with the   
handsome prince, of course," Harry said with a wink at Tom.  
  
"Frog prince more like it," B'Elanna shot back. Tom's whoop of laughter   
followed them out of the bar.  
  
Figuring the show was over, at least for the time being, some of the crowd   
began filing out of the room after them. A few trailed after B'Elanna and   
Harry as they walked toward the nearest turbolift.  
  
"Come on, B'Elanna," Harry said, "you're not really mad at him, are you?"  
  
"Did he have to do that in front of everybody?" she muttered.  
  
Harry looked at her for a moment, and shook his head. He was starting to   
wonder if she just might want to go dancing with Tom after all. She had   
certainly relented quickly enough, for her at least. "Maybe he thought it   
was the only way to get you to go with him," he suggested.  
  
B'Elanna shot a bemused look at him. "He could have just asked."  
  
"And would you have said yes?"  
  
"No, of course not." She shook her head vehemently. "The whole idea   
is...ridiculous. Besides, I don't like being tricked into doing things I don't   
want to do."  
  
Harry risked another glance at her, "B'Elanna," he said. "Do you even know   
what ballroom dancing is?"  
  
She frowned a little more, but refused to look at him. Harry just laughed and   
shook his head in response. Just as the turbolift doors opened, her combadge   
came to life.  
  
"Paris to Torres."  
  
"Torres here. Did you miss me already, Lieutenant?" Harry's snort of   
amusement was picked up over her open com signal.  
  
"Tomorrow night, 2130. I'll pick you up," Tom said.  
  
"Why don't I just meet you there?" she suggested.  
  
"No, I think I'd rather make sure you show up," he replied.  
  
"Fine, but if you're late, I'll go with Harry," B'Elanna shot back as she   
closed the link. "Torres out."  
  
In the almost empty Sandrine's, Tom shook his head. No way, he thought. Harry   
won't save you this time, B'Elanna. I'd lock him in a Jefferies tube first.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Tom paced nervously outside B'Elanna's door. He was 10 minutes early and the   
more he tried to convince himself otherwise, the more certain he became that   
B'Elanna would refuse to go dancing with him. In fact, he had pretty much   
talked himself into giving up the whole idea when her door slid open and Sue   
Nicoletti walked into his chest.   
  
"Oh! Sorry, Lieutenant," she said as he steadied her on her feet. "Wow," she   
ran an appreciative eye up and down his suited figure. "My, you clean up well,   
Tom. Is that Harry's jacket?"  
  
"Yeah." He smoothed his hands down the lapels of the white suit coat, and   
fingered his black bow tie. "Not too Rick Blaine, is it?"  
  
Sue gave him a blank look and shook her head in a question.   
  
"Casablanca," Tom supplied. "1943? One of the greatest romantic films of   
Earth's twentieth century cinema." Nicoletti rolled her eyes and started on   
her way down the corridor. She didn't want to know.   
  
"She's not quite ready yet, but she's worth the wait. I think that dress looks   
better on her then it does on me."   
  
"Sue," Tom stopped her. "Thanks. For the dress," he clarified. "If it   
weren't for you and Harry, B'Elanna and I would be naked right now." His eyes   
twinkled at her; sometimes he just couldn't resist.   
  
Nicoletti wagged a finger at him. "I hope she didn't hear you say that," she   
sang back to him.  
  
"Life is risk!" Tom countered.   
  
He stepped gingerly through the doorway and glanced around. There was no sign   
of her. "B'Elanna?" he called.  
  
"Umm, in...just give me a minute," she answered from the bathroom.  
  
She sounded nervous, too. Well, good, Tom thought. Maybe she was finally   
starting to take him seriously.   
  
He glanced around her quarters. Everything was clean and tidy, probably for   
Nicoletti's benefit, he mused. The first time he'd been there, he'd been   
surprised by how messy she was. For some reason he'd assumed that an engineer   
would be as nitpicky about her personal space as she was about her engine   
efficiency, but B'Elanna's trail of clutter had surprised and delighted him.  
  
He peered into her sleeping area. The bed was neatly made, no uniforms lying   
around, not even a stray padd in sight. His lips twitched as he thought of the   
padd she'd been reading in the mess hall a few weeks ago. It was a far cry   
from the engine schematics she usually read around him, and it put him in mind   
of that long ago romance novel he'd stolen from his sister. Moira had her   
George, B'Elanna had her Rorg. Best to put that particular thought right out   
of your head, he thought sternly.   
  
"Don't laugh," B'Elanna said.   
  
Tom turned toward her and caught his breath at the sight. The word   
'bellissima' hovered on his lips. He had to admit, the gown looked a whole lot   
better on B'Elanna than it did on Nicoletti. It was sleeveless, with a fitted   
bodice that flared below the hips into a very full skirt. A dark midnight blue   
in colour, it shimmered as it caught the light. It reminded him of a   
starfield. He smiled.   
  
B'Elanna raised an eyebrow at his expression. "I said, don't laugh," she   
reminded him with a mock growl. She hesitated in the doorway a moment before   
coming toward him. He noted her little smile, and the slight sway of her hips   
that caused the dress to ripple around her ankles.   
  
Tom felt his stomach tighten, and put it down to nerves. He remembered to   
exhale. "You look..." stunning, gorgeous, breathtaking? "...lovely," he said   
finally.  
  
B'Elanna quirked an eyebrow, "Thanks," she said. She turned away from him and   
did a slow twirl. The skirt flared out around her, rustling slightly. She—or   
more likely Sue, he thought—had put her hair up in neat twist, leaving a few   
loose strands to curl at her ears and neck.  
  
"I was right," she said, "the dress was too long. We had to shorten the straps   
by almost five centimeters." B'Elanna put an unconscious hand to her chest.   
Tom couldn't help but notice that the bodice certainly looked low enough to   
him. Well, maybe not quite low enough.   
  
"And since Sue will need the dress back," she continued, "we couldn't   
permanently alter it. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find a needle   
and thread on a starship. I ended up having to replicate one. I think I'll   
keep it; the needle might come in handy in Sickbay the next time you bash your   
head open on an away mission. That was a joke," she finished lamely.  
  
"Yeah," Tom nodded. "A good one too. Now, if you're finished stalling, your   
dinner awaits."  
  
"Dinner too?" B'Elanna raised an eyebrow. She was impressed.  
  
"Don't get too excited," he said, "you know the chef." He had slipped a hand   
onto her lower back—it seemed the gentlemanly thing to do—and started toward   
the door, but B'Elanna dug in her heels. She wasn't moving.  
  
"B'Elanna?" His eyebrow rose in a question.  
  
"Look," B'Elanna examined the shine on the toes of her black shoes for a   
moment, "you've seen me in the dress, which I assume was the whole point, so   
let's just forget the rest. Go play Captain Proton or something."  
  
Tom crossed his arms and eyed her as he took in her 'fighting stance'. He   
snorted softly as it finally occurred to him: B'Elanna didn't know how to   
dance.   
  
"I don't want to 'play' Captain Proton with Harry," he said—he wasn't going to   
mention that Harry had bridge duty with Chakotay that evening. "I want to go   
dancing with you. Unless you don't know how and you're too embarrassed to tell   
me."   
  
B'Elanna recognized the challenge in his voice. It was a tone she knew well.   
"You may have spent your youth going to fancy Starfleet parties, and dancing   
with admirals' daughters, but I spent mine...doing other things. So no, I don't   
know how to dance." She spat out the last word and fell onto the couch in a   
rustle of silk, arms crossed tightly over her breasts.  
  
Tom had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. She looked like a six-year-old   
in a snit. "For your information," he said, "the only admiral's daughters I   
danced with were my sisters. By the time I was fifteen I was almost six feet   
tall, so it was the admiral's wives who wanted to dance with me. Most of them   
were drunk and all of them thought it was funny to make me blush by flirting   
with me."   
  
"Maybe they should have waited a year," B'Elanna mumbled.  
  
Tom frowned at the comment. He noted the set of her jaw and made his decision.   
He took two quick steps toward her and hauled her unceremoniously to her feet.   
"The bet was for two hours in the holodeck doing whatever I want, and I want to   
dance. With you. Move it, Lieutenant!" In fact, he had fully expected to   
have to teach her, just as he had expected her resistance.   
  
B'Elanna hesitated. "What if someone's..." she nodded toward the door and the   
corridor beyond.  
  
"Then they'll get one look at you and be overcome with jealously."  
  
B'Elanna snorted. "Right," she said. Tom felt a sadness in his chest. She   
looked good; how could she not know it?   
  
"Would you rather request a beam out? Chakotay might just oblige you." He,   
himself, certainly could deny her nothing in that dress. Almost nothing, Tom   
amended.  
  
B'Elanna thought he was making fun of her, and she didn't like it. "Let's just   
go."  
  
She led the way with her chin held at a defiant angle, reminding Tom of nothing   
so much as a ship in full sail. Tom reached for the picnic basket he had   
stowed by the door, and had to trot to catch up with her. Was it his   
imagination, or were more people littering the corridors than usual between   
B'Elanna's quarters and holodeck one? He couldn't really blame them. He and   
B'Elanna had put on quite a show the night before, and entertainment on Voyager   
came at a premium.  
  
When they arrived at the holodeck it was occupied, though the display showed   
that the privacy lock wasn't engaged. Tom shrugged at B'Elanna's inquiring   
eyebrow.   
  
"I have it reserved," he said. "I guess whoever is in there just lost track of   
the time." He could tell she didn't buy it.  
  
"They're probably just as nosy as everyone else around here," she answered.   
She keyed open the door and walked into a racquetball court. A ball whizzed   
past her head and B'Elanna had to duck a flying racquet.   
  
"Hey, look out!" Ensign Doug Bronowski did a flying two-step and spun slightly   
to avoid slamming into B'Elanna. His opponent Walter Baxter, shouted "Point!"   
and raised his arms in the air in victory.  
  
"No way." Bronowski shook his head. He scrubbed the sweat from his eyes and   
motioned to Tom and B'Elanna. "If those two hadn't just walked in I'd have   
made that shot."  
  
"Well, pardon us," B'Elanna growled. "You're five minutes over time. Didn't   
you have the computer warn you when your time was up?" she accused.  
  
"Sorry, Lieutenant," Baxter said. "I guess we got carried away. Come on," he   
gestured to Bronowski, "we can finish this in the gym, it must be free by now."  
  
Bronowski ran an appreciative eye over B'Elanna, who had turned away from them   
with her arms crossed. Tom felt the overwhelming desire to punch him right in   
his approving grin. "Have fun, Lieutenants," he said. He stopped beside Tom   
and clapped him on the shoulder. "Nice tie," he added.  
  
"Come on, Doug," Baxter said. He sent a silent apology to Tom as he headed out   
the door.  
  
"Sorry about that," Tom said.  
  
B'Elanna turned to face him and shrugged slightly. "They're just curious, like   
everyone else." She looked around the simulated racquetball court and grinned   
at him. "Nice place," she teased. "Great ambiance. And the dance floor..."  
  
Tom smiled and relaxed for the first time since he got off-shift. He reached   
out a hand for hers and called, "Computer, run program Oasis-Paris one. Engage   
privacy lock." He noted B'Elanna's raised eyebrow. "Unless you'd rather have   
half the crew watching us on the monitors?"  
  
She shook her head.   
  
The scene had changed to a richly appointed nightclub, and B'Elanna found   
herself standing at the head of a gracefully curving staircase. Below her the   
room opened into a large, oval dance floor ringed on three sides by dining   
tables. Potted palms hid the patrons from view, giving the impression of   
intimacy. To her left, a low wave-shaped stage held an orchestra arranged on   
either side of a giant crescent moon, which hung suspended from the ceiling   
like a swing. A woman sat on it, singing to an upbeat tune which B'Elanna   
didn't recognize. Several couples were dancing animatedly, twirling and   
spinning around the floor. B'Elanna grudgingly admitted that it looked like   
fun, and she tried to keep the smile from her face. It wouldn't do to let Tom   
know that she was enjoying herself already.  
  
Tall marble pillars supported a second floor balcony which overlooked the dance   
floor, and several people stood at the railing watching the couples dancing   
below. As the song ended, everyone broke out in polite, but spontaneous   
applause. The band began a new song, and Tom took her elbow, and guided her to   
a private table set several meters away from the dance floor. It was covered   
with a deep red cloth, and pink, peach and orange rose blossoms were arranged   
among a group of lit candles clustered in the center of the table. Tall,   
delicate wine glasses waited beside fine, white china plates. B'Elanna noticed   
that hers had a single red rose lying across it.   
  
Tom pulled out her chair and motioned for her to sit. A little smile curled   
her lips. "You don't have to, you know," she said. "I'm impressed already."  
  
"All part of the service, ma'am," Tom answered. He watched her face as she   
looked around the nightclub at the other couples moving gracefully in time to   
the music. The soft light from the candles on their table seemed to make her   
glow. She caught him watching her and grinned nervously.  
  
"What?" she asked.  
  
Tom shook his head. "Nothing," he said. She wouldn't believe him anyway. "I   
can't take any credit for the program," he told her. "It was in the ship's   
database. Probably part of the standard library." He reached for the wine   
bottle in the stand at his elbow. "Wine?" he offered.  
  
"What? No waiter?" she asked him.  
  
"I didn't want to deal with anyone else tonight. Do you mind?"  
  
She shook her head no. B'Elanna may not have been more than a passable holo-  
programmer, but she knew not to believe Tom when he said the program was   
standard to all Federation ships. He had obviously added—and deleted—some   
components. There was no way that she would believe that the table setting   
was original to the program, or the wine either, which was obviously replicated   
for the evening. The profusion of flowers explained why his replicator rations   
didn't expand far enough to cover dinner.  
  
"Are you hungry?" he asked. "Would you like something to eat?"  
  
"No, thanks." She gripped the edge of the table hard enough to turn her   
knuckles white. "We might as well just get this over with," she said, fighting   
down a nervous fluttering in her stomachs.  
  
Tom shook his head and raised a hand to hide a grin. "B'Elanna, this is   
supposed to be fun," he reminded her.  
  
"And it is," she assured him. "Really."  
  
"Is there someplace else you have to be?" he asked. He noted the tension in   
her arms and shoulders, and the stiff way she held her head. She was far more   
nervous about this evening than he had imagined she would be. He watched as   
she played with the rose in front of her. Her fingers ran along the stem and   
out across the leaves, but never strayed to touch the blossom.   
  
He almost gave in right there. But, damn it, he thought, he wanted this. He   
had waited patiently for it. They had healed the rift that had stood between   
them from the incident on Sakari IV, and moved forward with their friendship.   
She had even made the first move to make up after their fight when the Nyrians   
transported them all off Voyager. Keeping her safe in the Argala habitat had   
been instinctive, but Tom wanted to feel her in his arms again. If he had to   
trick her into it, then so be it.  
  
He stood and extended a hand to her. She ignored it, but rose in turn and   
walked toward the dance floor. She looked like she was marching to her doom.  
  
The other couples parted slightly, giving them room to claim a place near the   
center of the floor. Tom looked toward the band and the tempo of the music   
slowed to a waltz. B'Elanna raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged in response.  
  
She took a deep breath and turned toward him. "So what do I do?" she asked.  
  
"Let's start with a waltz. First, give me your hands." Tom faced her and   
stood palms up, waiting. She gingerly clasped his hands, and he guided one to   
his right shoulder, and held the other away from them. When he placed his   
right hand at her hip, she let go of him and took a hasty step backward.  
  
"Close," he said. "But you're supposed to hang on to me when you do that." He   
took a step toward her and she hesitated momentarily, then put her hands back   
into position. He sent her a roguish grin as his right hand once again found   
her waist.  
  
She had unintentionally taken the perfect 'box step' starting position and Tom   
paused for a moment to weigh his options. It had taken a fair amount of   
contriving to get her there, and he decided that he didn't want to waste the   
opportunity. He suddenly remembered dancing between his grandparents when he   
was very little, his feet perched atop his grandfather's. They had done a slow   
tour of the room, and he had laughed and held onto his grandfather's legs as   
they dipped his grandmother.  
  
"Move in a little closer," he said, "we could slip Harry in between us." He   
drew her against him, his hand sliding from her hip to the small of her back.   
He felt her stiffen in response, then slowly relax against him.  
  
"Now," he said, "when I press with the heel of my hand, you take a step back,   
and when I press with my fingers, take a step forward. Okay?" Tom   
demonstrated by curling his fingertips into the flesh by her lower spine.   
B'Elanna gave a muffled squeak and squirmed away from his fingers.  
  
He hung on and stared at her. "B'Elanna, are you ticklish?" He sounded   
stunned.  
  
"What's so strange about that?" she demanded.  
  
"Nothing," Tom answered. "I guess I just never thought of you as the ticklish   
type." He tried to imagine her as a little girl, engulfed in fits of laughter   
as one of her parents tickled her. He failed.  
  
"For your information, Klingon spines are very...sensitive," she said.  
  
I'll have to remember that, Tom thought. He was tempted to say it, but   
B'Elanna was cooperating and he didn't want to spoil the mood. "How's this?"   
he asked, pulling her toward himself slightly.  
  
"Fine," she answered. She was even closer to him than before and she had to   
bend her neck to look into his face. He smiled encouragingly at her. "Do   
people always waltz this close together?" she asked, glancing at another couple   
dancing beside them. He thought he heard a slight accusation in her voice.  
  
"Not always," he admitted. "There are several styles, I just picked the one I   
know best." He waggled his eyebrows at her, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"What's next?" she asked. She had had enough small talk.  
  
"I walk forward with my left foot, and you take a step back with your right."  
  
"Obviously," she replied.  
  
"Then we change our weight to the other foot with a little step to the side,"   
he continued.  
  
"Which side?" she asked.  
  
"For you, the left."  
  
"My left or yours?"  
  
Tom paused and grinned at her. Was she doing this on purpose? She looked   
deadly serious, but he couldn't be sure. It wouldn't have surprised him if he   
learned that she was a grand champion dancer. She had the best poker face he'd   
ever seen.  
  
"Yours," he said. "Bring your other foot next to the one you just moved, and we   
do it again, only opposite. Got it?" He looked hopeful.  
  
B'Elanna just stared at him blankly.  
  
"Why don't we just try it and see how it goes," he suggested. He pressed   
against her lower back with the heel of his hand and took a tentative step   
forward. She responded with a matching step backward.   
  
"Good, B'Elanna," he said. "Now shift your weight to the other foot."   
  
She did, and Tom gasped as 50-odd kilos of pressure was focused through her   
spiked heel onto his toe. "Your foot, B'Elanna," he whispered.  
  
"Sorry!" she said hastily and pushed away from him.  
  
"No harm done," Tom said tightly, "that's the good thing about 'fleet issues.   
They hold up to any punishment."   
  
B'Elanna frowned at him, trying to decipher an insult in the comment. His eyes   
were creased in pain, but she didn't comment. It was his own fault, she   
decided—she'd tried to talk him out of dancing.   
  
As she stepped back into his arms, he paused, enjoying the way her body felt   
against him. She arched an eyebrow at the delay, and he answered, "I'm just   
waiting for the music to catch up to us." Truthfully, he was waiting for   
sensation to return to his foot, but he wasn't about to give her the   
satisfaction of knowing that.  
  
She nodded in agreement, and as the melody swelled, he said, "My left," and   
stepped forward again. B'Elanna followed through with the responding steps,   
back with right, half step to her left, bringing her right foot beside her   
left. "Your left, going forward," Tom said as he curled his fingertips into   
her back and pulled her slightly toward him. She followed, and they ended up   
back in the spot where they'd started.   
  
"Again?" he asked, and she nodded eagerly. I was right, Tom thought. He'd   
long ago noticed the gracefully measured way B'Elanna walked. She had a   
natural elegance that reminded him of a dancer—or a panther. He knew that she   
would be good at this type of dancing and he regretted that it had taken so   
long for him to maneuver her into it. "Do you want to try a turn?"  
  
B'Elanna smiled and nodded. She was starting to relax and enjoy herself. It   
really wasn't as daunting to learn the steps as she had first thought when she   
had combed the ships data base last night looking for information on ballroom   
dancing. Tom was a good dancer; natural and confident, and she followed his   
steps easily. She realized it felt good to be held by him.   
  
Her hand slid unconsciously from his shoulder to his chest and Tom glanced at   
her fingers. "I don't really think you're the bow tie type, Tom," she said   
softly. She pulled on the end of the tie and it came undone to lie loosely on   
his shirt. His arm tightened around her waist, and she moved a little closer   
to him. B'Elanna could feel the heat of his body along the length of her own.   
He was warm, and he smelled good and she fit well in his arms—and it was time   
to put an end to that line of thought, immediately!   
  
Tom watched the play of emotions across her face. He admired her for a moment;   
her high cheekbones and the fine ridges of her forehead. She was relaxing   
against him, and for an instant he thought she might rest her head on his   
shoulder. Then she seemed to remember herself.   
  
She stiffened again, and pulled away from him slightly. "What?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing," Tom replied, shaking his head. "I think it's time to try a dip."  
  
"Okay, what's a di—oooooh!" Suddenly B'Elanna found herself prone in Tom's   
arms. She was bent backwards over his leg, and he held her firmly around her   
waist. She had dug her fingers into his shoulder with bruising force to keep   
herself from falling, and she saw him wince slightly in pain.   
  
"Serves you right," she said. "Next time give me some warning." She glared at   
him, but he just laughed.  
  
"The surprise is half the fun," he said as he straightened her back up. She   
felt the air rush past her face, and she laughed with delight.  
  
"I told you this was fun," he said with a grin.  
  
  
~*~*~  
  
Tom and B'Elanna shared a laugh as they stepped off the turbolift on deck nine.   
Harry's jacket hung on B'Elanna's shoulders, and the empty sleeves slapped   
gently against her thighs as she walked. She was holding Tom loosely as they   
made their way toward her quarters, her fingers curled around the muscle of his   
upper arm.   
  
B'Elanna chuckled again and buried her face against Tom's shoulder, "Are you   
sure you don't want to stop by sickbay? The doctor would love to check out   
your foot. And fix your arm." She gave it a pat.  
  
"I think I'll recover without his help, but thanks for your concern." He   
smiled down at her as they stopped outside her door. B'Elanna keyed in her   
code, then turned back to face him.  
  
"So, did you have a good time?" Tom asked. He took in her flushed cheeks and   
her eyes, sparkling with amusement.   
  
"Yes, I had fun," she admitted.  
  
"So I guess third time's a charm, then?" he asked. She arched an eyebrow at   
him, so he explained. "Well, on our first date—"  
  
"Date?" She sounded incredulous.  
  
"Yes, date," he said with a grin. "On our first date, Vorik monopolized you   
all night," he saw her begin to frown mightily, and hastily added, "at the   
luau."  
  
Her lips twisted back into a half smile. "I wasn't aware that was a date."  
  
"Oh absolutely," he replied. "Our second date ended a little abruptly when you   
stomped out of the holodeck in a snit waving a bat'leth under my nose. Then   
that Nyrian showed up—"  
  
"That was definitely not a date, Tom." She jabbed a finger into his chest to   
underscore her point. "You tricked me into that bet, and I now know for a fact   
that you knew the anodyne relays needed replacing all along."   
  
He ignored her protest. "So that makes this our third date, which means," he   
finished with a grin, "I'm entitled to a goodnight kiss."   
  
"Oh really?" B'Elanna pulled away from him. "And just where is that written?"   
she asked. A couple of crewmen chose that moment to turn the corner, and   
B'Elanna grabbed hold of Tom's arm again and pulled him into her quarters.  
  
As the door slid shut behind him, he decided not to push his luck. "Nowhere,"   
he said. "I'm making it up as I go along."  
  
"Yes, I thought you were," she replied.  
  
"So what do you want to learn next time? How about a tango?"  
  
"Next time?" B'Elanna's eyebrow sailed upwards again. "What makes you think   
there'll be a next time?" She ran a finger along his undone bow tie, tracing   
the silky fabric as it lay against his chest. "And just what is a tango?"  
  
"Well," Tom slid his hands around her waist and pulled her hips to his, "you   
start out very close together..."  
  
B'Elanna spread her fingers against the fine white cloth of his shirt.   
"And what moves do you make then?" she asked softly.  
  
"I'm not sure," Tom replied, equally breathless, "but I think dipping is   
involved."  
  
"Oh good," she breathed, "I like dipping." She realized that she did indeed   
want that goodnight kiss, after all. Wanted it. Craved it. Needed it. But   
she also wasn't sure she'd be able to stop at just one. She remembered the way   
her blood sang in her veins when he finally kissed her on Sakari, and it was   
enough to make her blush furiously—she'd been doing a lot of that lately, damn   
him. She pushed away from him and turned to drape Harry's jacket over a chair.  
  
Tom just smiled at her as he let her go. "Meet you for breakfast?" he asked.   
He knew she was on the second shift, so he didn't expect her to say yes.   
  
"All right. I have to stop by Harry's place to bring this back to him anyway."   
She motioned to the coat.  
  
"I can do that," Tom offered. "I can override his code and leave it in his   
quarters." He grinned at her.  
  
"I'm sure you can," she replied with a laugh. "But I want to talk to him about   
that simulation from the other day before I go on duty."  
  
"All right," he gave in with another smile. As she walked him back to her   
door, he turned to face her. "What about my good night kiss?" he asked, only   
half joking.  
  
She considered for a moment before stretching up to kiss his cheek. His   
whiskers were beginning to grow in again and she liked the feel of his stubble   
against her cheek and chin. "I'll see you in eight hours," she whispered into   
his ear.  
  
Tom drew back with a sigh. "Eight hours," he agreed. Eight very long, very   
sleepless hours, he thought.  
  
As the doors slid shut on Tom's retreating figure, B'Elanna let out the breath   
she'd been holding. She reached for the jacket again, and brought it to her   
face, inhaling the mingled scents of Tom's cologne and that scent that was   
simply him.   
  
The evening hadn't just been fun, she admitted; it had been wonderful. And   
once she'd finally relaxed and caught on to the steps, she'd felt free and   
happy.   
  
Just maybe, she thought, a fourth date wouldn't be completely out of the   
question.  
  
  
  
  
  
The End.  
  
~*~*~  
  
What a relief. I know it would never happen, and I realize I've taken   
liberties, but what can ya do? When you're knee deep in a coda to 'Night' and   
'Extreme Risk', you need a little fluff to get you through. I would be remiss   
if I didn't mention Nick Felix and his wedding dance instruction site. No,   
I've never waltzed in my life—could you tell? Comments? Anyone?   
My email addy is at the top.  



End file.
